


Kiss Underneath the Surface

by PhancyFantom



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Arguing, Background Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Falling In Love, Getting Together, Goodbyes, Hiding, Human Gems (Steven Universe), Kidnapping, Love Confessions, Making Out, Missing Persons, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rescue Missions, Sailing, Swimming, Time Skips, and mermaid gems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2020-10-21 00:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhancyFantom/pseuds/PhancyFantom
Summary: Connie's family makes the decision to move into Beach City, a temporary home for the smaller girl to explore. The wonderful view of the sea was a gift to watch from the shore.Her life is changed when she meets a boy with a tail the color of a rose. In the ocean where he lives, he meets her gaze with bright beaming eyes, always coming everyday to gift her for her beauty. Sadly, Connie wouldn't be able to stay for long. Once she leaves, the boy is left alone.Years later, once Connie reaches the age of 15, she comes traveling back to Beach City, ever wondering if her memories of the boy were just that of a dream.A mermaid!Steven x human!Connie Fic.





	1. The eyes above the surface.

Beach City was, in a way to describe it, very peaceful.

The small town that settled next to a beautiful sea gave Connie a calm and assuring atmosphere. The sunny day that she was met with was a relief to feel. For a moment, she decided that waking up to the next morning will be more pleasant than she can imagine. In a place where she could actually enjoy the day to herself, her excitement couldn’t help but show.

Yet, the thought in the back of her mind was so cruel to remind her that it won’t last for as long as she liked.

They’ve only moved to this city because her father’s job begged him to. They’d only plan on staying here for a few weeks. After that, they’ll return to their dull home back in Jersey.

On that note, Connie decided to lift her head up again. If they are only staying here for a while, she should learn to make the best of it while it lasts. The beautiful scenery in front of her should no longer wait as the 12 year-old girl hustles down the boardwalk, taking in a deep breath of salty air.

* * *

The doughnut shop near the edge of the city was quick to catch her eye. While her parents didn’t like giving her anything that was considered unhealthy, Connie had found a few ways to sneak a few goodies into her mouth every now and then.

With the few bills of money she had, she figured that she could at least check out what they have in store.

Entering into the shop, the smell of baked goods was enough to make her mouth watery. She lifted her hand to her face, making sure that she wasn’t accidently drooling. She wouldn’t be able to handle the embarrassment.

As luck would have, she hears a voice laughing nearby. A girl her age, sitting nearby in the only table available in the shop. Her short hair bobbed slightly, her snorts clearly heard as she looks at her, almost dropping her doughnut on the floor.

“Ugh, Amy could you not?” Another girl said, seated right next to her. Perhaps a close friend, with blonde hair and large round glasses sitting at the bridge of her nose, “You’re clearly embarrassing her.”

“Sorry, Peri..” The girl, now Amy, manages to giggle out. She took a few deep breaths, finally able to calm herself down. “But you gotta admit, the way she was staring like a lost puppy I- Ow!” Amy rubbed at her head, where she was unfortunately slapped with a hard fist.

“Please forgive my friend,” the latter says, standing for her seat to shake Connie’s hand, “She can be dumb sometimes. My name’s Peridot, though I go by my nickname, Peri.”

“Uh, Connie.” Connie introduced herself, shyly lending her hand out to shake Peri’s own.

Peri looked behind and motioned her friend, “The idiot’s name is Amethyst, but again, we don’t stick to our actual names.”

“Yo!” the other leaned back, tilting her chair as she lazily waved, “This idiot is Amy. Pleasure to meet ya!”

Another bright side to this day, Connie would have never imagined herself making two new friends in one go..

* * *

As much as she would have liked to hang out with her new friends, she was too far gone from home than her parents would have liked. While the free doughnut given to her by Peri was by far the most delicious thing she had ever tasted, going over her curfew was one too many times she could afford breaking the rules.

They stayed in a rented home from within the small city, easy for Connie to travel to without complications. Much to her relief, her mother was far too tired to scold her for coming a couple minutes too late from curfew.

Her father wasn’t too worried, knowing how adventurous and curious his little girl can be. He was much more laid back and goofy at times. It was another reason why he was her favorite dad.

He was mostly the reason why her mom was able to forgive and forget. With a long sigh coming through her breath, Priyanka gave in, letting Connie to explore Beach City all on her own again.

The next day, Connie decided to bring along her instrument case, resting against her back as the strap was secured over her shoulder. This time, she decided to walk along the shore of the beautiful beach.

The waves were much more calm than Connie would have expected them to be. The brightly colored blue of the water reflected nicely, urging Connie to go for a swim.

She walked along farther away from the city, strolling under the lighthouse that sat steady at the edge of the cliff above her. Finally stopping, she paused to see her surroundings.

Here, she was alone. No sight of anyone here, no sight of any building, nothing but her and the lovely view of the sea. Satisfied enough, she bent down on the sand, taking her case in front of her and opening it to reveal a violin.

This was a perfect place for her to practice. A perfect place for her to just be herself. She wanted to take in every moment out of this experience.

After a bit of tuning and tightening her bow, she set it on top of the strings, letting it vibrate her first note as she began to play…

The melody first started out slow, every pitch coming up and down like the waves of the sea ever so elegantly. Each pull and push of her bow was calculated gracefully, her fingers pressing down at the end of her instrument to create a beautiful vibrato in her sound.

Before she realized it, she began to move slowly to the melody of her music. Every count was well thought out, and she danced passionately to it. It was all so familiar to her, the way that she moves being able to communicate what she is trying to express. Her violin accompanied her greatly in sync. The instrument and their holder becoming one as they bring out the best in each other as they also become their own being.

The hum of her melody, however, was shortly brought to a close. Fluttering her eyelids halfway, she was not expecting to find a pair of pupils staring back at her…

She stopped playing all together, her instrument slowly falling off her shoulder as her hands drop down to her sides, her instrument and bow slightly bumping against her thighs.

In the cool water of the ocean, the head of a boy watches her in curiosity from behind a large boulder.

His face rested on top, gawking in awe at what seems to be at her. An embarrassing blush crept up at her face, thinking that she was certainly alone before seeing him.

She didn’t realize that people swam this far out in the beach. She thought that she’d found herself a bit of good privacy for once.

Thinking that this was getting a little too awkward for comfort, she settled her instrument inside her case, shutting it close before taking a seat on the sand. The boy peaked his head up in interest, watching her as she made herself comfortable.

“Uh, hi…” Connie first started, grabbing his attention, “I didn’t realize you were there. You kinda scared me for a sec.” She chuckled jokingly, “I thought I was the only one who found herself a good spot under the cliff. I guess you beat me to it.”

The boy slid his torso off the boulder, abandoning it as he got closer to the shoreline, swimming towards Connie.

“My name’s Connie.” She started out. “What’s yours?”

The pupils in the boy’s eyes beamed bright for a second, taking in a moment to process her question. He stood silent for a moment, thinking with a hum before being able to form the words in his voice, “S-Steven..”

“Steven, huh…” Connie repeated the name in a mumble, but before she could say anything else, the boy gasped as an idea came over his head, turning around quickly and diving into the water.

Connie perked an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what the boy was up to. She stood up from the sand, taking her shoes off before walking into the shallow side of the water. The cold water caught her by surprise, but other than that, it was refreshing.

She looked around for Steven, searching where he could have gone.

The sudden sound of a splash caught her attention, turning to find him poking out from the surface. With an innocent smile plastered onto his face, he swam close to Connie, lifting his hand to reveal a water poppy grasped in between his fist.

Connie blinked at the plant being given to her. She walked closer, the water rising to her hips as she reached it. Upon closer inspection, she looked over every detail in the flower. The color white of the flower reminding her of the cute child-like expression that Steven was giving her now. In the middle, a yellow shade faded in. It was a simple design, not as complicated as a rose, but it was still a wonderful piece to look at. Connie smiled lovingly, bringing the flower up and placing it in her hair, displaying the beauty, “Thank you.” She said, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

The boy looked back at her with a pause. Another playful smile rose up to his cheeks, adoring her new look with his flower. Connie giggled at his expression and he seem to imitate her expression. The boy came much closer to her, becoming more comfortable to be with her. She watched him as he neared, her eyes gazing how he inched with a slight struggle until he finally joined her to the shallow end. What she failed to realize at first, was the long, pink tail that trailed behind him as he swam, moving gracefully in the water.

Her eyes widened, catching sight of what could be considered nothing but a myth…

...The tail of a mermaid.


	2. The beginning of friendships.

The scales glistening from beneath the water were enough to rival that of a shooting star. They reflected brightly, travelling up and down his tail. Right at the tip of the rose-pink colored tail, two rounded fins that gently swayed along with the ripples of the water.

It reminded her a lot like the hibiscus flowers she once saw in a garden. The way their beauty took the spotlight away from other flowers. They stood out compared to the dandelions craving for attention. And at this moment, the beautiful design of this tail took out the beauty in the ocean. 

The sight of it was enough to hypnotize Connie. And as fast as a snap in fingers, she blinked rapidly, reality storming back to her in a sudden rush. She stared, blinked, then stared again.

“Huh?” She muttered out with the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her eyes swung back and forth, from where it connected with Steven’s hips to the tip of the long tail. Her jaw hung wide and her pupils shrunk in an instant. It only took one long second for her mind to come running back to her.

“Guahh!” Connie yelped, quickly struggling to get out of the water. A sharp rock that stuck out in the soft sand send her tripping, her momentum automatically sending her forward. Her arms wailed around in the sudden loss of balance. Falling forward into the wet sand, she wasted no time crawling out to dry land.

After a few gasps of air, she turned with a shocking expression, staring at Steven who watched her with a confused glance.

“You-! What! What the heck is that?!” She shrieked out, pointing to the appendage in question. Steven’s eyebrows perked in more confusion. He looked back at the direction of her eyes, lifting his tail out of the water and turning it slightly in observation. He looked back at Connie with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Wha..?" Connie muttered out in a clueless breath. "W-Why is there a freaking tail attach to your body?!"

Steven's eyes peered blankly in a sad silence. Slowly, he brought a hand and pointed towards his stomach, touching at a... _ embedded rock? _

Connie's mind was in a tangled loop, no longer understanding anything the boy is trying to explain. "What is that? Some navel piercing? I don't know what that has to do with anything!" Her voice wavered, clearly still a little freaked out.

Steven shook his head in frustration, his hands waving in front of him, signalling for her to calm down.

Connie breathed, a little deeper this time. As weird as this was, she shouldn't be panicking and jump into conclusions. Like her father once said, there is always a logical explanation to everything. And taking in those words, a logical thought came into her mind.

"O-oh… I see.." She stuttered out, "You're one of those professional mermaids, right? The ones that perform dances in aquariums and stuff..?"

Steven sighed, looking over at Connie in disbelief, "A...Aquar..ium?"

"Yes! Those things!"

Steven shrugged his head, clueless about what she's saying.

Connie sweat dropped, "You.. don't know a lot of English...do you?"

Steven bit the inside of his cheek in deep thought before his eyes brightened at an idea. He began to rush closer to Connie, letting the smaller waves push him forward as he made his way to the sand, using his arms to help him crawl.

Connie jumped at how his tail moved to his command. Gears started to click altogether. The way his tail looked much more realistic than it did underwater. She could see how the muscle in the tail moved under the scales and how his fin moved on reflex, flapping the sand away…

...

_ ...That's...THAT'S AN ACTUAL TAIL..! _

Connie stumbled back, panic returning back together as she moved away. Her hand patted the ground behind her, looking for the cell phone she remembered placing near her instrument case.

She grasped it tightly, taking the phone and turning it on. She needed to call someone to come get her. There was no way she is feeling alright. The sea is making her sick, that had to be it.

As her fingers begin to dial down on the screen, she hears a quiet gasp escaping from Steven.

She looked up at him, seeing how his eyes begin to widen in fear. His face went slightly pale, and in a quick instant, he started to push himself back into the water.

_ ..Is he afraid of cell phones? _

He struggled, scraping himself against the sand in desperate attempts to crawl back.

Connie paused, the sight of him being afraid made an uncomfortable churn in her stomach. The way he is trying to get away from her the same way she had been getting away from him... It didn’t sit well with her.

She scared him. He had been nothing but friendly towards her, and yet she treated him like a freak. He probably felt bad seeing her scared of him as well…

“Wa-Wait!” Connie stood up, approaching him as he still struggled to crawl.. This made Steven freak out even more, cause the next moment she took another step, his arms came to cover his whole head in a protective stance, hiding his face underneath his small shield.

“Don’t tell!” He whined out, almost pitifully, “..Don’t tell!”

He trembled slightly, frozen in place, silently waiting for something to happen.

“..Don’t..Tell?” Connie questioned, “Tell who..?”

She glanced down on her phone, her mother’s number was already dialed. All it took was one press of a button to call her, her finger already hovering over it.

“You thought.. I was going to tell someone about you?”

Steven nodded, still keeping his face hidden. Connie found it odd. For him to suddenly react after seeing her cell phone… She wondered if he had gone through something in the past. Confirming the most obvious, he isn’t human… Or at least, not completely. He was still able to understand her.

According to myth, mermaids was just another fancy name for sirens, monstrous sea creatures with magical abilities that they would use to lure sailors to their deaths.

...If that was nothing but a myth, what is she looking at right now?

Steven had to be one of those… A siren..? Merman? The creature that everyone had thought to believe a myth… He doesn’t even look monstrous. Quite the opposite, actually..

The act of him giving her a flower was such a kind thing for him to do. Connie couldn’t think of a time anyone had done the same for her. How could she ever hurt him?

Connie plucked the lone flower displayed on her hair, taking a good look at it. Slowly, she lowered herself to the ground, placing the flower on Steven’s curly hair.

His trembling stopped, and for once, he decided to peek through his arms. Connie gave him a small smile, placing her cell phone down and using her free hands to gently uncover Steven from his hiding place.

Steven said nothing, not resisting to Connie’s relief. She managed to sit him back up, still holding on to him. She wanted to show him that she wasn’t a threat, hoping the warmth of her hands were enough to calm him.

They looked at each other for a long moment, only building themselves comfortable with each other’s presence.

With her thumb, Connie caressed the back of Steven’s hand, “I’m sorry for scaring you,” she breathed out, “..I didn’t know any better. This is the first time I’ve seen someone like you before..”

Steven blinked, “..Me.. Me too…”

Connie let out a small chuckle, “..Really? I guess you thought it was also weird to see a human too, huh?”

Steven shook his head, “..No… Not human. I see human before.”

“Oh..?”

Steven let go of one of Connie’s hands, taking the flower from his hair before placing it in her palm, “...But my first time seeing pretty human.”

Connie blushed at the sudden response, almost dropping the flower in shock. She gawked in a frozen state. Steven couldn’t help but find her stare funny, as he giggled at her expression.

She didn’t know what to make of him. He just didn’t know when to stop being cute. She bit her bottom lip in embarrassment, looking off to the side. The nice view of the beach left her heart beating slower than the sight of Steven’s sun-kissed face.

“...Can, you..?” Steven paused in thought, looking for the right words to say, “..You and me? Us be friends?”

“Friends?” Her voice rolled out slowly. The friends she ever made recently were Amy and Peri, but even they didn’t outright say it. It was just a silent acknowledgement that the three of them knew that Connie was welcomed to hang out with them. To be directly asked felt a lot more different.

It still doesn’t change her answer.

“Yeah!” She said excitedly, “We can be…”

Her day was a lot more lucky than she had ever thought it could be.


	3. Is it the end?

Something that Priyanka had noticed different was that her daughter always came home with wet clothes. With her always dripping the carpet soaked in salty water, Priyanka needed to grow a habit of scolding her every time she entered the door.

Doug would occasionally remind Connie to change out of her wet clothes, so he wasn’t slacking off on his parenting, but Priyanka was still expected to take charge and line the rules out.

“You are always running off to the beach every single day,” Priyanka said, quickly ending the silence of their dinner time, “I’m beginning to think that you’re trying to skip on your violin practices.”

“I’m not.” Connie said, lowering the fork down on her table, “I still take my violin to practice by the beach.”

“You are supposed to practice for a whole hour. No more, no less. Yet, you come home drenched in water and covered in sand.” Priyanka’s voice became more stern, “Besides, I don’t want you swimming without any supervision.”

“What!” Connie tensed her shoulders, unamused to have another rule placed over her head, “But I’m fine mom! I don’t even swim that far into the ocean. If anything, I only stay near the shore.”

“It’s best to be safe than sorry,” Doug added, joining in to the conversation, “I also don’t like the fact that you’re wandering off on your own either.”

“But I’m not alone, dad. I usually stay with my friends.”

Priyanka sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose, “Then your friends clearly have parents that don’t teach enough out of their children. Do your friends even have responsibilities they need to do besides fooling around all day?”

“It’s not like that, of course they do. My friend Peri is an honors student, so she usually brings her notes along to study sometimes. As for Amy…” Connie thought for a moment, grabbing at her chin, “...Well, she has a bit more free time on her hands than Peri.”

“Right...” Priyanka muttered. From what she sees, Connie isn’t lying, not that she ever could, those were part of the rules. Yet, something still seemed off. As great it is for Connie to find a few companions, she still wouldn’t like her daughter to be too distracted from her daily tasks.

She needed to remind herself, it would only be for this summer. Give Connie a bit more freedom. Besides, it won’t be long until they leave this city.

* * *

Weeks and weeks of the same everyday routine was starting to settle into Connie’s mind.

While the unpleasant sound of her alarm clock wasn’t the greatest thing to wake up from, she had to remind herself of the greater things to come later in the day.

As she spent the morning with her mother, doing chores or while doing her homework, she’d often have herself daydreaming of the fun moments she was going to have in Beach City.

Once she was free in the noon, Connie quickly rushed to the doughnut shop, meeting up with Peri and Amy before getting themselves in random shenanigans. It was amazing for Connie to learn more about her companions. Peri has always wanted to get into an engineering school, unsurprised by her geeked out moments, and Amy has once mentioned that she was always interested in modeling for art classes. They’ve asked Connie the same question that she had done to them as well.

_ “So, where do you see yourself in ten years?” Peri asked, busying herself as she stirred her hot chocolate with a thin straw. _

_ “I..” Connie paused. She had never really thought about it, if she was honest with herself. She just assumed that she was going to take her mother’s footsteps and become a doctor. It was still hard to say what she wanted to be. She was nothing like her parents. What they are, she could never see herself being. In the end, she couldn’t bring up a proper answer. _

_ “..I don’t know..?” _

With enough chatting coming from Peri and Amy, Connie was quick to cut the conversation short. With the hanging clock hitting 3:00 pm, Connie was more than confident to say goodbye to her friends as she storms off.

Once the afternoon hits, she was off to see what had quickly became her most favorite person in the world…

Steven always waited in the same spot, sunbathing against his favorite boulder as he waited for her. Once he heard the crunching footsteps against the sand, he turned to her like an excited puppy, getting off his boulder and swimming to the shore. 

They met the same way every time. Connie would carefully take her shoes off on the sand, dropping her case next to it as she ran into the waves, giving Steven a nice, big hug. (After getting scolded for her wet clothes, Connie was sure to bring an extra outfit to stuff inside her violin case).

The rest of the day was for them to decide how to spend it. Steven always liked to bring her things, as he once did with the water poppy he gifted her with. Some days, they would be bracelets decorated with colorful pebbles, sometimes, they would be a different kind of flower that he presents her with. Recently, he had given her a few seashells that Connie found quite interesting.

She always made sure to keep all of his little presents, using them to decorate her room once she returned back home. She didn’t think she could ever grow the guts to throw them away.

As more time passed, Connie was amazed to find a few things that Steven liked. He apparently has a huge weakness for anything music. Every time she played her violin for him, his eyes always seem as if they were hypnotized with a spell. She’d teach him about the different kinds of instruments that exist, and Steven had always jumped in excitement at the ukulele.

“I have one!” He says with a joy spread across his lips.

“What? A ukulele?”

“Yeah! In my island!”

“Huh..” This had been the first time she ever heard of anything like this.  _ His  _ island.. Not once did she ever think if he had a home. She had always assumed that everything in the ocean was his home. “So, you live on an island?”

“Ah, no…” Steven said, “I don’t know to walk yet..”

Connie gave a small grin, “Well, of course you can’t walk with a tail.”

“No, I can’t with tail.” Steven chuckled slightly at the thought, “But I live around island.”

“Heh, well that seems kinda fun. Maybe one day you can take me to your island some time. I'll bring my violin and you could take your ukulele. We could be jamming buds.”

Steven’s cheeks flustered at the idea, grinning widely, “Yeah!”

* * *

Everyday was more exciting than the last. Steven's charming personality had really opened up Connie's eyes to many wonderful things.

Even if it were the smallest moments, like Connie teaching Steven a bit of proper English as she wrote on the sand while Steven listened. His face lingerd with curiosity, watching every move as the stick that Connie was holding made a mark on the grains of sand, spelling out different letters and symbols. On occasion, they get off task and draw little pictures instead. His love for learning was an inspiration that Connie found to be admiring. Even when getting a few things wrong, Steven doesn’t show his fear of failure. In fact, he only sees it as a way to be more motivated.

...And Connie loved watching every second of it.

She only wished that she could be there to experience it forever…

* * *

* * *

Connie wished that she could have told Steven sooner, but she always seemed to forget during their times together.

She had already told Peri and Amy. They knew that sooner or later, she was going to return back to her home in Jersey.

It felt all too fast. She wasn’t ready to leave just yet. She still wanted to stay…

Who knew that three months could feel like a whole week...

Connie had asked and pleaded to her mother if there was still a chance for them to stay a little longer at Beach City, but there was no luck.

If it hadn’t been for this city, she wouldn’t have made any friends…

Peri and Amy had given her one too many farewells and goodbyes, but they were sure to slip her their numbers.

_ “Hey, if you ever come back, give us a call!” Amy smirked, holding a thumbs up. _

_ Peri placed a hand on Connie’s shoulder, “Yeah, so please don’t forget about us, okay?” _

Connie made sure to keep that noted. They were her first friends after all, how could she just forget the people that had welcomed her with open arms? They meant more to her than she could ever tell them.

But Steven also meant a lot to her as well… He was someone she could find herself open up to about every single thing that bothered her. She wanted to be there for him, and she wanted him to be there for her. His kind, soft heart warmed her up in every way. He was one of a kind in her book.

..And yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything sooner.

She  _ needed _ to tell him now. This was the last day she had left until she was gone from Beach City.

But she doesn't even know if she could bear seeing his smile drop into something that will make her guilt eat her away..

She found him again, this time, he distracted himself with a small crab. He was happily plopped down on his stomach, lying on the wet sand as the occasional waves splashed over his tail from behind.

He let out a finger, tapping the crab’s shell in curiosity, watching as the small creature walked back and forth, away from the unwanted touch. A shadow loomed over him, looking up to see Connie in front of the sun’s view.

He smiled widely, rolling to the side to sit himself up, already pulling himself to hug her. She still accepted his embrace, yet, she could tell he felt something off...

He pulled away, taking another good look at Connie. The way his eyes studied her, how his eyebrows pushed together in concern, he was catching on to something.

“What is wrong..?” He said, almost too softly.

Connie almost couldn’t handle it. She just wanted to bury herself into the sand, flee away from the situation. She’d hate to see him as anything else but the joyful boy he always shows her. Yet, she wouldn’t want to imagine just how more heartbroken he’d be if she left without a trace.

Could she forgive herself if she were to just disappear into thin air?

As hard as it is, this was her only choice..

She settled down onto the sand, sitting right next to him. He didn’t say anything, content on being patient. She didn’t even know how to start. Everything that she needed to say, all jumbled up into a chaotic mess in her head. She just wanted to blurt out everything, but she needed to take it slowly…

“Steven,” She first started. A lump grew in her throat, almost begging her to not crush her friend’s shining joy. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you any sooner… But, I'm gonna have to.. go away.”

Steven’s head tilted, “Oh… You come here tomorrow then.”

“No, it’s not like that.. I need to go back home.”

“But, here’s your home..”

Connie shook her head. When her sad smile dropped, so did Steven’s. “No, this isn’t my home.. My home is far away from here. I need to leave tomorrow, so this might be the last time I will get to see you..” Her voice cracked slightly at the last word. She had never realized it until now, that this might be the final moment she has with Steven. Once she’s gone, she’ll never get another chance to meet someone as special as him.

To her surprise, Steven reached towards her, rubbing his thumb against the side of her cheek, wiping off a tear she didn’t know she shed. The boy in front of her didn’t look as heartbroken as she would have thought. A small but reassuring smile had appeared instead, making Connie feel a bit at ease.

“It’s okay.” Steven spoke softly, “Home is important, but does not mean we’re no more friends..”

“But.. I don’t want to leave you.”

Steven shook his head, taking her in a tight hug. Connie gasped at the sudden movement, but eventually took it all in, wrapping herself around him as he did with her.

“You won’t…”

“How can you be so sure..?”

“Because I’ll wait here for you.”

He rested his chin against her shoulder, taking in her comforting scent, “I’ll do it everyday… No matter how long…”

And he was sure to keep that promise.


	4. What happened to Steven?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer than I would have preferred, but I didn't want to cut it short, so here ya go.

** _Three years later._ **

“...Now, even if we realize it or not, there is a great possibility that you yourself may have dirtied your nearby lake. You see, the waste we throw can still be collected, most likely by rainfall, making all that trash travel down to any pool of water.” Connie turned back to the board, clicking on a small remote control in her hand. The screen projected on the board began to change slides, coming to her next set of words in her presentation.

“Amazing as it is, any river and streams you find here are connected to the ocean, in one way or another. Hence, the reason why we have a large issue over pollution growing at large rates in the sea.” She looked out to her fellow classmates, ignoring the fact that half of them are busying themselves with anything else other than her project in hand. “So, please, I insist that we do everything we can to keep our ocean and marine life healthy. This problem has been caused by us, so as our responsibility, we must do what is right and clean the mess that will endanger life at sea…”

Her words were cut short by the alarming sound of the bell, signaling for all students to leave the classroom. No one bothered to take a second glance at her, caring for the lunch period that will begin shortly. In less than two minutes, she had been left alone, watching the door closed as she is met with the silence between her and her teacher, who had only watched her from their desk.

_ ...The same as usual..  _ Connie sighed.

* * *

"So, I'm assuming it didn't go well?" Jeff spoke with a full mouth, chewing on his salad as he watches his friend stay in a grumpy silence. Connie moaned, not bothering to pick her head up from the cafeteria table.

"Okay.. But hey! At least you got your grade!"

“It’s not the grade I’m worried about…” Connie finally mutters out, turning her head to the side, but still lazy to lift herself back up straight. If her mother were here, she would have gotten her ear talked off about her using the table as some pillow, “I feel like no one in my class ever listens to me. Like I’m just some invisible nobody.. I honestly try to talk to people, but they always look the other way.”

Jeff swallowed down his last bite of salad, “Well, I’m here. I listen to you and I always like having you around. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Connie smiled a bit, “Yeah, I guess. You’re the only good thing out of this darn school. Why can’t more people be like you?” She rested her chin, looking down at the food tray that was left untouched, “You’re one of the nicest boys I know.”

“Aw, gee…” Jeff blushed, his hand cupping his cheek, “That’s great to hear, but I don’t think I could be as nice to anyone as you. You know, it sucks that you’re leaving to another school. Why couldn’t you just stay here?”

“I already told you,” Connie grabbed at her fork, poking at the steamed broccoli, “Ocean Town High School has an honors program that I really want to take, and my parents agreed for me to transfer there, so that was a plus.. So to make things easier, I’ll be staying with a friend in Beach City and attend high school at Ocean Town until I graduate.”

“Isn’t Beach City, like, really small? You’re gonna bored yourself out. Why not just live in Ocean Town?”

“We have no friends or relatives in Ocean Town. Besides, Beach City is no more than a thirty minute drive from there.”

Jeff leaned with his cheek resting against his palm, “Hm, good luck making new friends in Ocean Town, I suppose..” He muttered, obviously showing his disappointment in Connie’s plan of leaving him. He stared at her in the corner of his eye, making Connie chuckle as he tried his best to put on a puppy dog face.

“Stop that, Jeff. You’re acting as if I’m going to forget you.”

“You forgot to meet me at the library two weeks ago.”

“I had a test due that day!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll let it pass..” Jeff stood from his seat, dragging his empty tray. Connie followed right behind, despite the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything in her meal. “But really, it’s going to be a bummer once you leave. If I see you again, you gotta tell me everything.”

“Will do!”

* * *

Connie looked back at the clock for what seemed to be the fifth time. It was only four hours until midnight. Amy had told her that she was normally up until three in the morning, so it shouldn’t be too much of a bother to call her now. Unless Amy decided to be responsible and go to sleep at a reasonable time, which could be possible if she hadn’t slept the day before.

Connie had already knew of Amy’s horrible habits, ever since they’ve been using a lot of face time. One thing she loved about keeping in contact with them, they’ve always seem different. Back then, Amy’s hair was only long enough to create two short ponytails. Now, she’s got a full mane almost coming down to her knees. Peridot didn’t change too much in appearance, but she’s been a lot more outgoing and sociable, where as back then, she’d always tried to stay serious. Camp Pining Hearts had done a lot for her.

Wasting no time, Connie clicked onto Amy’s contacts, waiting as the phone in her hand buzz patiently. It didn’t take much longer than Connie would have thought, seeing as her screen showed Amy’s face smiling at her.

“Connieee!” Amy shouted out in joy, Connie barely hearing a voice in the background screaming  _ shut up _ . Amy’s face turned into a bored frown looking at someone off camera, “Carnelian, I swear to gosh.. I”m talking to my friend so don’t bother me!”

Connie heard mumbling before the sound of a door shutting. Amy turned to look back to her, “Sorry, my sister didn’t realize that me seeing my precious friend was a lot more important than her own little TV show.” She rolled her palm in a bored expression, “Under the Knife can be a little overrated..”

“Hey!” Connie perked an eyebrow, “Excuse me but I like that show too! At least your sister has some good taste.”

“Nah, I’m just joking with you. It’s only okay when that show isn’t blasted throughout the house at like, five in the morning.” Amy lets out a humorless laugh, “By the way, super excited for you to be moving in! You’ll fit right into the famethyst!”

“The..Famethyst?” Connie said, chuckling, “Is that another word you made up?”

“...Yeah, I'm pretty cool."

"It's better than most things you came up with, I guess.."

"Hey," Amy pointed a finger at her, "You gonna be living under my roof… Whatever goes in here, goes."

"Heh, okay, okay, sorry.." Connie lied herself onto her mattress, holding the phone high above her, "I still can't believe you got my mom to let me live with you."

"Well, my oldest sister is pretty responsible.." Amy shrugged her shoulders, "and your mom is all about that kind of stuff. It wasn't as hard as you think.."

"Well, thanks for everything," Connie smiled gently, "You don't know how much this means to me."

"As shucks.." Amy rubbed at the back of her neck, "It was nothing. You deserve the best, Connie, if it means getting you into that Honors program…"

_ That wasn't it… _ Connie had thought. Sure, the program would do a lot for her. She'd have more opportunities and a wider range of universities to choose from if she passed with flying colors… But taking those classes wasn't the reason why she wanted to move out.

_ "...Because I'll wait here for you." _

_ "I'll do it everyday… No matter how long." _

He said it without hesitation… He said it like he really meant the words that he voiced. Every so often, Connie found herself wondering if he was at the shore in that moment, just waiting for her to come back.

It's been years now… Was it possible that he grew bored after a week of waiting? What if he had forgotten the promise? Could he have forgotten her too? No, that couldn't be true… Connie had so many questions, which nothing had lead her the answer to. It won't matter anytime soon. As long as he's okay, that's all that Connie's concerned about.

Even if she sees him just one time, that's all that she needs to feel relieved again.

"You think so?"

"Of course I do!" Amy said, "Watch, when you come here, I'm gonna treat you to those doughnuts, like old times. It's going to be great."

"Yeah," Connie answered. "Sorry, but it's getting late and I'm already sleepy. I don't know how you manage to stay up for so long.."

"Easy. Coffee and movie marathons.." Amy said in an obvious tone. "I'll just catch you later then. See you soon, Connie."

"See ya.." Connie answered before hanging up. As the screen turned black, she placed the phone on her chest, staring up at her ceiling.

_ Soon. She was going to see him... _

* * *

Amy's house was rather huge. That was Connie's first thought when arriving. With as many siblings as Amy has, it made sense.

Amy's oldest sister, Gina had been nice enough to take a long, three-hour drive to Jersey to come and pick her up, which meant another three-hour drive back to Beach City.

She was too generous to offer Connie a ride, even while her parents insisted to take her there instead. But Gina's decline could only prove to her parents that she was definitely too kind for her own good.

"Here's your new home sweet home." Gina said, stationing her vehicle in the driveway, "I've cleaned the place this morning, so as long as the other rascals didn't tear anything apart while I was gone, it should still be nice and tidy."

"No worries. I don't mind a little mess."

"That's sweet of you, but no. When you got to look after a bunch of teenagers that act like kids, then it becomes a hurricane under our roof.."

Connie laughed softly. Being around Amy is already enough. She could only imagine what it will be like living with her own family.

Entering into the house, Connie was met with Amy lying on the couch, playing a video game with two other girls in the living room. Hearing the door open, Amy turned around, surprised to see Connie right at the entrance.

"Oh, there she is!" Amy stumbled to her feet, jumping over the couch before rushing to give her a big hug. "You're here!"

Connie took in a sharp breath, having all the air knocked out of her, "Geez, you just came charging right at me." Connie chuckled, patting Amy's hair.

"You think I was gonna  _ not _ charge at you after who knows how long you've been gone?!" Amy exaggerated, letting her go, "Also, look at you! You're so grown up!" She cooed, "You grew taller than me! Totally not fair.."

"You thought you would get a growth spurt? Pfft!" Amy's sisters walked up from behind, one of them resting their arm on her head. "Keep dreaming that, will ya?"

"Wow, Justine… so mean." Amy held a fist to her chest, "You know how self conscience I am.." She turned away in a dramatic fashion. "Go bully Lauren instead of me."

"Woah, woah," The sister in question backed off with hands raised in front of her, "You can't say that when I clearly beat you two clean on Driver Kart."

"Oh, you just got lucky!"

Connie couldn't help but chuckle. Amy's whole family is already making her feel welcomed. As they all laugh through their conversation, Connie was urged to join in on their humor.

She never really experience something like this in her home. The serious attitude her mother placed on her can be a bit restricting at times. Knowing that Amy's sisters were very laid back.

She could go along with this. She can fit right in just right. She owes a lot to Amy for helping her so much with this. They were willing to let another stranger live in their home with no problem. Connie doesn't even know how she could pay back. Doing basic chores is the least she could do. She'd figure something out later..

"Hey," Connie felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Gina looked down at her with a smile, "Don't stress, okay? I see you getting a little tense there."

"Oh," Connie said a bit nervously. She didn't realize she was getting a little stiff, "Right, sorry.."

Gina proceeded to pat Connie's head, giving her hair a bit of a rub, "Oh, you're a good kid, Connie. Come on, you must be hungry after that long trip."

Right on queue, Connie's stomach rumble in hunger. Guess she could go for a nice meal…

* * *

The day's been fulfilling with the Famethyst, not to Connie's surprise. The big meal served to her had filled her stomach for the rest of the day. She was sad to decline the dessert to come afterwards. Amy's sister was disappointed, but understanding. Carnelian had realized that for a slim girl like Connie, she isn't used to eating a lot at once, unlike Amy on the other hand, who proceeded to chow down everything thrown in her sight.

It had only been the first day back here, Connie had already had a handful, getting pulled around and being greeted by the whole family. The amount of siblings living together under one roof had left Connie shocked. She couldn’t understand how Gina was able to handle a whole zoo, but she’s got to give her a lot of credit.

But now, as everything begins to wind down, Connie was finally given a bit of a chance to breathe. As grateful as she is, being in her friend’s home for the first time did feel a bit overwhelming. She was glad that the excitement was done and over with.

Now, she finds herself walking down the same boardwalk as she did all those years ago. Memories flooded back to the last time she had been here. It was like she was walking in the past again, except for the fact that she wasn’t here to explore, no. This time, she knew exactly where she is and exactly where she wants to be.

It hasn’t turned dark yet. She still has time to go  _ there _ …

The beach was quiet, no one in sight among the distance. She marches towards the familiar path she knew all too well, welcoming the sand she stepped under her feet.

The trip was much shorter than she had expected, arriving just the spot under the cliff’s shadow..

She was all on her own. She looked ahead, seeing the dark ocean swaying smoothly as the orange sky complimented the blue that filled her vision.

She could see the boulder up ahead, surrounded by water as it occasionally crashed against the large rock.

_ Back then, he would have been there, waiting for her… _

_ But, he’s not here.. _

She looked around even more, scanning through the area for anything. She didn’t see any curly hair in sight.

She sighed. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes too high. Connie should have expected it. After so long, it would be considered a miracle to see him again. Still, it made her slightly upset to not find the mermaid immediately upon arrival.

That’s fine.. Maybe today was just a forgetful day for him. She needed to remind herself that there is always tomorrow. She could wait for him just like how he said he will wait for her…

She turns back, whipping her head around when something bright yellow catches her eye.

She didn’t notice it earlier, distracted by the ocean itself. When she looked over her shoulder, she could see something floating just at the shore.

It would occasionally be pushed by the small waves, only to be stopped by the smaller pebbles outlining the beach.

She walked towards it, bending down to pick up the mysterious item…

A flower crown, made with water poppy flowers. They lined up against each other, crowded as every petal filled the spaces. The stems were woven into each other, hiding under the different shades of yellow, barely visible but still there to appreciate.

But the way that the stems were braided together, she knew it all too well. It had been the same braid as he would use to create her bracelets.

_ Was it possible? Could he have been here? He just had to be... _

She turned the flower crown around, inspecting the other side. It was stained in a dark color.

Brown? Dark red? It reminded her too much of dried blood…

Looking down at the ground around her, she could spot specks of that dark stain near her feet. Some of the bigger pebbles had it too.

A few steps near her, the tip of a rather pointed rock the size of her head was dipped covered in it..

  
  


_ ...What happened to Steven? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda sucks that most of the Famethyst don't have unique names of their own, so I was forced to use my very few brain cells to make something up. Amethyst's oldest sister, Gina, is actually 8XG, while 8XJ is Justine and 8XL is Lauren.


	5. The great fish hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again!
> 
> Gotta admit, this took a little longer since I had a hard time figuring out which point of views this chapter should be told through.
> 
> But hey, figured it out.. Somehow...
> 
> Warning here, there's a bit of violence written in this chapter.. And like, one curse word..
> 
> Just a little heads up. Gotta let you guys know it won't be as nice and sweet as the first chapters.
> 
> Enjoy

Marty couldn't believe himself. He trapped himself on his boat for weeks with no results and he was getting real impatient. His crew were nothing but useless sheep with only one brain cell to share. He looked up at the sky. It was getting pretty cloudy. They were running low on supplies. Sooner or later, they were going to have no choice but to return back to the shore to restock again.

If he had the choice to hire better people, he'd do it in an instant. Unfortunately, the disgusting excuse for a crew had been given to him by the person that entrusted him with an important job. He also didn't know which people he could trust with a task as important as this. For now, he just had to stick with what he had.

The boat had rocked slowly, floating among the gentle waves that flowed every now and then. If he wasn't so busy with his job, he could say that this would have been nice to enjoy for a bit.

"Dad." His eyebrows twitched in annoyance. He should have expected not being able to have his alone time for a bit. He let go of the railing of the boat, turning to see a younger man with white hair similar to his own, "What do you want, Sour Cream?"

Sour Cream pointed towards the men behind, who rustled around the area with tasks in hand, "It's been several hours and we've had no luck. The old geezers are suggesting we go back now and call it a break."

Without hesitation, Marty shook his head, "Oh you gotta be joking. No one here is getting a break until I say so! Let them complain all they want, but if I don't see feet moving and eyes searching, there's gonna be an issue."

Sour Cream sighed, brushing his hair back in slight frustration, "But dad, you can't be serious. Are you delusional? How insane can you be to believe that something as crazy as a mermaid even exists!"

Marty took a harsh step forward, resulting Sour Cream in stepping back in a moment of fear. Marty mentally smirked at his son's cowardness, "Of course they are!" He first started, "I saw one with my very own eyes. Those creatures are rare to find, and I was lucky enough to see one myself." He forced a finger to Sour Cream's chest, making him wince at the uncomfortable jab, "You wouldn't understand. Once I get my hands on that mermaid, I'll be richer than you could ever imagine."

Marty knew that his kid wouldn’t understand something as important as this. He shouldn’t even be bothering with him. It wouldn’t matter if Sour Cream knew anything or not. He was only here to do a job, and that should be it.

Marty knows what he had seen. It was real. The creature saw him as well. He had a chance to feel the scales, to grasp it between his hands. It would be crazy to consider that he had dreamt all of it. If it hadn’t gotten away, Sour Cream and the other sailors would have known better than to nag all day.

There should still be a chance to find it. He would doubt that the thing could have left so fast.

* * *

Sour Cream never liked what he did. He wouldn’t have been here if he knew he’d be spending his days doing dirty work. Yet, back then, he had thought that spending his day with his step dad was boring. He remembers nagging his mom off over how he could never get along with Yellowtail. He would always go on and on, saying how uncool and lame he is for never appreciating Sour Cream’s hobbies.

Guess he never realized how immature he was. The moment he heard of his father coming into town, he was up and running, telling his mother how he’d rather live his father than spend another second in the house. She didn’t take it so well, but as a grown teen, she knew that Sour Cream should have a bit of a say as to who he wants to stay with.

The first few weeks were fine overall. It had been mostly just a lot of traveling around, meeting businesses and wealthy people. Sour Cream knew that his dad was packed with money, but he never really stopped to question how he became so loaded.

_ Having a lot of connections _ was the only answer he got. A whole lot of business deals and bargains was the fastest way he got to the top, but his father wasn’t as trustworthy as he presents himself to be.

His selfish and greedy side created multiple attempts at scamming, even with the most dangerous people. The only reason he’s still alive was due to another bargain that his dad spat out in order to keep his head from being chopped off.

He was given mercy, but only by a thin string. 

If he hadn’t offered a valuable item, he wouldn’t have been here by now.

_ A chance to buy a mermaid, healthy and alive. _

Sour Cream’s jaw dropped, shocked by the fact that his father would think his little fake deal would have worked.

Until it did.

They looked back at his father, their eyebrow perked at the sudden interest. They demanded for him to go on and explain what he was willing to offer. Sour Cream was disbelieved. 

Even the other men on the ship had a hard time believing the whole ‘mermaid thing.’ Just like Sour Cream, they all thought that all they’re doing is wasting time going around in circles, finding something that shouldn’t exist. Something that  _ can’t  _ exist. But now… Sour Cream wasn’t too sure with himself.

Could it really exist? After all, the ocean is pretty big.  _ Anything _ could exist beneath the waters that are yet to be discovered. It wouldn’t be too far of a fetch to discover a new species that no man has ever seen before.

Sour Cream should probably give it a little faith. Perhaps he’ll find himself taking back everything he said.

* * *

If Marty remembered correctly, he hadn’t been too far from Beach City.

_ Just about two weeks ago, he walked along the beach, traveling parallel to the ocean waves. His thoughts lingered to where his next move would be. His recent encounter with a con artist in Empire City didn’t exactly go as well as planned. _

_ With the frauding that Marty takes effort to do, he was always sure to have a back up plan. With a town as small as Beach City, Marty could take the time to relax and lay low. After all, he’s made some bad blood spill with men that have eyes everywhere. One wrong move and Marty would be in more trouble than he could pull himself out of. _

_ What he needed now was protection, or at least, a bit of money to travel down west. He could leave the problems he has here and begin fresh in a new place with more wealthy people lingering around. _

_ But in order to do that, he needed something of value. To which he has nothing at the moment. _

_ He came to a place down the coastline of the beach, hidden behind the large cliff that held lighthouse sitting alone on top. It was perfectly out of sight and in a perfect distance from everything that could disturb him. _

_ Marty sat down, finally having the alone time to examine the damage done in his hand. _

_ He took his own time unwrapping the gauze, uncovering from his wrist. Taking a look at it, he hadn’t realized that it looked a little worse than he remembered. The back of his hand had been swelled up, and his knuckles had seen better days, seeing just how crooked and deformed they are. _

_ That guy was definitely not happy with trading all his money in Marty’s little scam. For someone claiming to be a con artist, he wasn’t all too bright and easily fell for his tricks. And with all the embarrassment he put himself through, violence was his last resort. _

_ Marty raised his hand in front of him, examining it from a distance now. As much as it hurts, Marty hoped the pain wasn’t as serious as a broken bone. He’d hate it if he had to resort to using only one hand. His life is going down to shit and he didn’t need to be carrying a limp hand around. _

_ A sudden movement in the distance was enough to stop Marty’s own thoughts, and he averted his eyes to look past his hand, over to the ocean. _

_ The sight of a boy in water stared back at him in a gawking expression, frozen in place as Marty stared back in as much as a confused gaze as he was. _

_ He didn’t think there would be anyone here. Especially so far away from Beach City… _

_ The boy carried a crown of tangled flowers in one hand, holding it with a gentle touch. As he looked down at Marty, observing his appearance, he caught sight of his injured hand. _

_ Just as quickly as a flicker, the boy’s face changes with concern. He hurried himself, swimming closer to the shore. “Mister, you’re hurt!” He said, worryingly. Once he was near, he stretched his hand out, “Here, let me help..” _

_ Marty stood still, unsure of what to think of the boy that approached him. It was odd to find a kid alone in the middle of the sea. And his act of kindness didn’t sit with him. _

_ “It looks awful,” The boy continued, “But you can trust me! I can help..” Just as Marty was about to lift himself up and tell the kid off, he began to approach him slowly. The enthusiastic kid crawled himself out of the water and inched himself over, reaching for Marty’s wrist and pulling it close. _

_ “Hey, kid! Hands off of me! Go mind your own..” Marty was caught midway as the tail that trailed behind Steven was enough to take his breath away. _

_ The soft pink was enough of a distraction, but Marty found it mindblowing to see something so realistic. The overbearing details of the scales organized in a well pattern and the rounded shaped fins made him believe for just a second that the boy was perhaps halfway eaten into the mouth of a huge fish. _

_ But that wasn’t a fish, that was his body. _

_ If Marty was any more distracted, he would have missed how the boy brought the hand to his lips, giving it a quick peck as a tingling sensation took over his hand. The skin glowed for only a few moments before a settled. And just as quickly, the pain he once felt was now gone. No cramp, no twitching, nothing… _

_ If Marty didn’t know better, he would have fainted from shock right then and there. But he’s heard of creatures like these before. He’s heard of wealthy men claiming they would pay hundreds of thousands just to see one. At first, Marty thought they were all delusional, but after time and time into researching about what the obsession was with mythical creatures, Marty didn’t think of it all as fake. _

_ “There.” The boy said, “I think that helped. Humans need to be more careful with their surroundings. I see a lot of the sailing ones injure themselves.” _

_ “You’re a mermaid..” _

_ The comment came bluntly without thought, but it was the first thing Marty could think of. The boy looked at him for a moment, just before looking away in a shy glance, “I’m not really a maiden, but yeah, I’m a mermaid to some extent..” _

_ The boy let out a small huff of a chuckle, “Sorry, this is kinda crazy. I usually stay away from humans, but since you were alone, I thought it would be nice to finally talk to one again… I missed having someone like you to talk to.” _

_ Marty glanced down at the boy’s stomach, an embedded gem was at display. It had been once said that mermaids were unique in the powers they held. The magic they possess came from the source of a gem buried somewhere in their bodies. This kid had a gem! Every description of the once ancient creatures, all in front of his eyes! _

_ He couldn’t believe it! _

_ How lucky was he to find one! _

_ It was like it had been fate to meet this creature! _

_ The boy still rambled on, but Marty didn’t bother to listen. His hand reached forward, touching the tail unexpectedly. The tail flinched at the approach, but he just had to make sure. Sure enough, it was real, in the flesh, from the texture to the small bit of warmth. _

_ What he was touching, was worth millions.. _

_ He couldn’t stop imagining the piles of money he would earn. _

_ Just how much would the mermaid sell in an auction? _

_ How much would it sell for individual parts? _

_ Would the gem sell as well? _

* * *

_ Steven could feel himself growing anxious, catching the sense of Marty’s greedy eyes. Ever so slightly, he began to shuffle himself away, trying to stay away from the unwanted touch, but Marty caught on. _

_ He was quick to grab the end of the tail, much thinner than the rest, and held on tight. He pulled him back in a harsh tug. _

_ Steven's eyes widen, already becoming aware of the danger releasing off of Marty. Before he could process it, fight and flight instincts began to kick in, heart pumping as the boy’s arms began to push himself back. _

_ Marty lost grasp at the moist scales and hurried to grab the fin instead in a tight fist. This earned a small whine from Steven's throat, feeling the unwanted pinch of his thin and fragile tail. He was afraid that another fist would easily tear it apart. Quickly, he grabbed a nearby pebble in a desperate need. He turned onto his back, throwing it at Marty's head. _

_ The sharp pain knocked itself into Marty's forehead, and he let go to tend to it, “Fuck!” He hissed, pressing once hand against his head for a moment as his legs began rushing into the sea. The water managed to get up to his knees. He dove down, almost losing grasp at the mermaid’s attempted escape, but was quick to wrap his arms around the flailing body, dragging Steven back to shore. _

_ He kept an arm across his chest, and his other fist grabbed a head full of hair. The boy fought against him, trying to push himself away. The more he panicked, the more he began to hyperventilate. The cowardly need to run away was set in stone inside the his mind, and fear rushed over him faster and faster. He tried to bite back at the restricting arms, but earned himself a nice reward of his breath getting knocked out of his lungs, with a harsh slam inviting him into the ground. _

_ He gasped in pain, feeling a sharp raggad tip make contact with the center of his stomach. The uneasiness feeling felt unbearable for a moment, but the sound of a crack catches his ears. His eyes widen, unsure if he wanted to believe what he had heard. His thoughts were short lasted however. His pain began to intensify as the weight of the man sat on his back. _

_ Steven was urging to scream for help. He needed someone to help him. It hurt.. It all hurt. He didn't think he ever gotten hurt so badly. The gem at his core had a burning sensation, and every second that past made him even more worried. _

_ The man on top of him reached forward for his head. Steven's breaths were cut short, as he felt long fingers wrap at his neck. _

_ He struggled and shook underneath, finding a way to escape him in any way he could. He was scared. He fought back the unconscious mind that tempted to take over him as less and less air was cutting off altogether. _

_ He couldn't pass out. No… he needed to stay awake..! _

_ His hand swiped the sand beside him, touching anything that he could use to his advantage. As he grabbed around, his fingers lay on a rock the size of his wrist. The jagged and sharp surface was enough to approve, grasping it before slamming it against the foot that was stationed at his side. _

_ Marty cursed, loosening his grip at the attack. It was enough for Steven to free himself. He pushed himself back, causing Marty to knock off his back. With one final turn, Steven took the rock to throw it, aiming at his head once again. _

_ Marty was fast enough to cover his head with his arms, but Steven wasted no time as he pushed himself into the water. He didn't care if it hit him or not. What he needed to do was leave with the few seconds he bought for himself. _

_ Once the shallow floor began to deepen, Steven wasted no breath, taking flight through water with everything he got. _

_ He needed to get far, as far as he could. Away from the land. Anything away from danger. The adrenaline was still rushing, and he swam at his fastest speed.. _

_ Until something felt wrong. _

_ The gills located at the side of his ribs and neck began to feel stuck. When they would once let the water flow through the small slits, now they feel as if they were closing up, sewn together. Steven gasped out, trying to breath in the water through the gills, only to feel his lungs fill up with unwanted liquid. _

_ He looked up, seeing the sun's rays gleaming down at him. _

_ He needed air. _

_ He aimed towards the direction above him, but his once fast speed began to slow.. The lower half of his body began to feel heavy. _

_ Steven looked down. _

_ Beyond his cracked, bloodied gem, his tail began to lose color. His scales chipping off disturbingly as it began to divide into two limbs. _

_ He kicked and kicked, but he was slowly losing his ability. He reached towards the ocean's surface, but the distance grew greater as he slowly sank... _

* * *


	6. Man with missing family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this late update!
> 
> While I hadn't expected to not work on this chapter, classes have caught up to me and I never had the time to write down this chapter. But with many schools canceled due to the pandemic (please stay safe!) I finally had the chance to catch up on this work!
> 
> But don't worry. While I didn't have the time to write, I still used the time I had to outline and plot down this story! In the beginning, I only had a vague idea and plot in mind, but I never had the whole story down to detail. And with these few months I had time to brainstorm, expect that every chapter is planned ahead up to the end. (I say this cause I'm the kind of writer that just writes cluelessly without any plan, so to be able to plan this whole story and all of its main plot points on my own is kind of a big deal for me.)
> 
> That being said, expect two more chapters to come out very soon.

Connie inspected the crown, rotating it gently every once in a while in a lazy motion. The water poppies that were neatly tied to the braid of stems grew limp. The yellow flowers were no longer lively and bright. All that’s left were damp petals only hung in a gloomy state, ever so often swinging by Connie’s motions.

They’ve probably been abandoned by the shore for some time, abused by the crashing water and the blazing sun as sand buried the once beautiful flowers.

Connie wondered why they would have been left there. For a moment, she thought that it was the work of a smaller child, who so happened to lose their flower crown to the ocean. She slapped her herself for the oblivious thought, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t a far fetched explanation.

And yet, it just had to be Steven’s. Connie didn’t have much to back it up, but her gut instinct was enough to convince her that it was likely it. She was normally one to use her mind more than her heart, a basic teaching coming from her mother, but at this point, she didn’t think much at the thought that she might look like a little kid getting her hopes up again.

Steven wasn’t a dream, she told herself. After all this time, from being away and traveling back here, she still believed in the memories she created here. When she met the boy at the beach, and their moments together, they were still embedded in the sand of this city.

As much as she hates to admit it, there were times when she dreamt of them both, swimming deep into the ocean, playing with the nearby fish. Steven would show her all kinds of pretty flowers that he finds for her, and they’ll travel along until there was nothing but them. It was a dream that any girl at that age would see as a fantasy. And at a point, that dream made Connie believe, even for just a moment, that Steven was just part of that imagination.

That very same dream played on a constant loop on any other night that came by. And sometimes, it was the only thing that filled Connie’s mind. Doubts quickly seeped in, and she found herself questioning everything for the next six months after traveling back to her hometown.

She caught herself acting crazy about them. All she wanted was to nag about it to someone, but even she couldn’t do that. She didn’t want to risk slipping out about Steven to her parents, or possibly anyone else in that matter. Even if she did, she wondered if her mother would have thought that she dreamed it all.

She thought back to the friends she had made. She didn’t think it would be too bad of an idea to reveal it all to Amy and Peri. She trusted them a lot, and they’ve lived here at Beach City all their lives as far as Connie is aware. If they knew anything about mermaid sightings that could have happened, then Connie was willing to hear. They’d have to know something, right?

Connie’s thoughts were cut off by the sudden of the bedroom door opening. Amy stuck her head out, peeking over to Connie as she lay spread out on the bed tucked in the corner of the room. “Ah, there you are! Get up you lazy bug, we’re going to the car wash.”

“Car wash?” Connie sat up, leaning back on her palms, “Your sister’s car didn’t look too dirty.”

Amy waved a hand, encouraging Connie to come, “Nah, there’s still a few specks here and there. But I’m going there to talk to an old friend, so you should come!”

Connie dropped the flower crown on her bed, following Amy as they headed out the door. Gina was just outside, waiting for them. “Honestly, with how small this town is, I have a feeling that you’re friends with everyone here.”

“Well, you’re not technically wrong. Everybody here already knows each other in some way or form.” Amy patted a hand on Connie’s back a few times, “Sooner or later, you’re gonna know everyone here too! No more of that dumb high school you used to go to. Just you, me, Peri, and the whole fam right here in this wonderful, cozy town.”

“Heh, sounds kinda exciting.”

“Oh trust me, it will.”

* * *

Gina’s car came to its location, stopping just before the entrance into the car wash. With the sound of the turned off engine, Gina hopped out, urging Connie and Amy to leave the vehicle. The place looked pretty empty at first glance, except for a van parked to the near side.

“Ol’ Greg’s probably inside.” Amy shrugged her shoulders, following after Gina inside the building, entering into the lounge. It was small, Connie had noted, but not cramped. The plain walls didn’t have much for decoration and the counter in the front had small candy bars and chips for sale. The man that worked here probably didn’t have much of a busy schedule.

Gina looked over the counter, leaning against it to find a snoring man limp on an old office chair. “Greg! Ding, ding! You got customers!” She yelled, ringing the small service bell on the side.That seemed enough to wake the poor guy up. He flinched and sat up from his seat, surprised by the sudden disruption from what Connie would assume to be a good sleep.

Amy laughed at Greg’s reaction, snorting behind her hand, “That’s the third time I find you sleeping during the day! Haha, never gets old!”

Greg held onto his head, “Be careful with that bell. You broke the other one when you woke me up last weekend.” He stretched, standing up from his chair.

Gina and Amy were a chuckling mess, chatting along with Greg as he got his bearings together. Connie watched them for a while, but decided to settle for looking around the place. While she had once lived at Beach City for a few months back then, she never really explored the  _ whole  _ town, mostly just sticking to the boardwalk. While there wasn’t much to look at, there were a few things to catch her eye.

A shirt pinned up on the wall with ‘Mr. Universe’ printed bright across the torso. The design was simple. A purple and pink shaded print over a dark background. On a shelf not too far away, a couple of CDs and framed pictures displayed. Connie walked closer to the shelf, eyeing each piece. They all seemed to be untouched for a long time, judging from all the dust collected. She found herself intrigued by the items. They seem to be merch, but she couldn’t rattle up any good answer in her mind as to where they are from.

She had yet to realize the sounds of the car wash whirling to life, Amy and Gina quickly going outside to get the vehicle into the station. Greg kept watch through the window right at the comfy spot of his chair, but she could feel a faint glance coming at her direction.

As Connie diverted her glance from the CDs away, spotting a peculiar photo that sat alone on the next neighboring shelf. The blue beach-themed frame had paint chipping away with a few scratches planted on the corners. It reminded her of her parents’ ancient photographs that they had stored in a box.

The photo displayed was a young man, long hair touched with the breeze of a sunny day. A woman was next to him, smiling, perhaps chuckling at a laughing moment that the picture was taken. Compared to the man’s hair, hers had to be longer, spiraling in huge pink curls and spilling down her shoulders. The touching moment radiating from this picture alone was enough to see how the two loved each other. Connie wondered if she had ever witnessed a love like that so strongly.

“Her name is Rose.” Greg said, suddenly appearing beside her. “You know, she has one of the most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen.”

“She does seem really pretty…” Connie said in a faint voice. “Is she your wife?”

“No, we never married. But she is someone very special to me.” Greg looked fondly at the photo, “Truth be told, I haven’t seen her in so long, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget her, even if I tried.”

Those words seem to hit Connie in a way she found relatable. As much as she doubted and consumed herself in second thoughts, it seems she isn’t the only one that has had a long miss for someone. “You really seem to be… in love with her.”

“Well, love makes you do crazy things sometimes. Back in the day, I did everything I could to be with her.. Even gave up a few dreams, but hey, I don’t regret anything at all.”

Greg said it with such ease. Connie didn’t know much about the man, she just met him today, but she felt oddly comfortable with him. He was interesting, to say the least. Very approachable and kind of intrigued at his words, might she add. It was no wonder Amy gets along with a man that seems to be as laid-back as her. Connie looked back at the items at the wall.

“You have a lot of interesting things here. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this anywhere before. Where did you get them from?”

Greg looked towards the wall, glancing at the shirt, “Oh, you mean the merch? They belong to me. I used to be a musician back in my golden days… Well, I still am now.”

“A musician?” Connie turned to him, “That’s really cool! I didn’t realize you were famous.”

“Woah there, I didn’t say I was famous.. Music is really just more of a lifestyle than a career for me.” He reached over a shelf and picked up a CD case, dusting off the cover, “I probably would have had the chance to become a pretty cool rockstar, but my life now ain’t too bad either.”

Connie looked over at the cover, “Well, I bet your music sounds great. You should give me a chance to listen to it. I’d love to hear.”

Greg eyed at her from the corner of his eye, returning his CD back on the shelf, “You play an instrument?”

“Uh, well.. Only violin. My parents really liked the idea of me playing classical.”

“Well, how do you like to learn to play another type of string instrument? I got quite a few electric guitars stored.”

Connie was a bit surprised at the offer. Rock was never really the type of music that she listened to. Her parents always thought that it was just loud nonsense. If anything, old movie soundtracks are the craziest her family would ever listen to. She was willing to try something new for once. But… but an electric guitar wasn’t the first choice in mind.

“Do you have a ukulele?”

“A ukulele?”

That small conversation she had with him. That someday they will play songs together. Steven had mentioned that he owned a ukulele. And while Connie taught Steven the basics of holding a violin and playing a couple notes, he has yet to show her a few things about his own instrument.

“Yeah,” she said, “If it isn’t a little too much to ask, I’d like to learn how to play the ukulele.”

Greg rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, I suppose I could show you… I used to have one, but I gave it away.”

“Oh,” Connie voiced her disappointment faintly, but Greg was quick to reassure her, “Don’t worry about it. I could always get another one!” He patted at her hair awkwardly, “Not a lot of people can appreciate music as much as I do in these areas anyway, so it’s nice to hear that someone is actually interested in learning something for once!”

“Well then,” Connie chuckled, “Does that make me your first student?”

“Well, no. But you are my first student in such a long time!”

The sound of the bell rang as the door to the lounge opened, Gina peeking inside and ending their conversation, “Hey Greg, can I get some interior cleaning on the car too? The little rascals I have trashed the back seats again.”

“Sure, I’ll be right there!” Greg replied, giving Gina a nod before she disappeared outside. Greg turned back to Connie, “Well, you can feel free to stop by any time. I’m open if you ever need anything.”

Connie smiled, “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

With school only being just less than a few weeks away, Connie was glad to be doing something exciting before cramming into studying. While she wasn’t expecting to spend it like this, she might as well make the best with what she has.


	7. Searched and Captured

_ “...And ever so slowly,” Pearl said, in a low, ominous whisper as she lurked her face behind seaweed, “...As the young princess dared to touch the surface of the water, she had yet to notice the ugly creature that waited for her approach.” _

_ Steven watched with intriguing, fearful eyes, scared to know what will happen next, but excited as he nervously played with the tip of his tail, safely secured in Garnet’s arms. _

_ “She reached her hand to touch the contaminated air that separated the sea… But once she did..” Pearl’s arm snapped through the seaweed to grab at Steven’s small arms, earning a squeal from the young toddler as fright touched him, “The ugly monster yanked her arm and never let go!” Pearl took him in her arms, spinning him around as he laughed nonstop, “And the princess became the monster’s dinner!” Pearl blew raspberries into Steven’s cheek, having him tickled as he cried of joy. Garnet couldn’t help but chuckle. _

_ “Okay, that’s enough storytime for one night. It’s time for you to get to bed now..” Garnet grabbed Steven from Pearl, earning her a small pouting glance from Pearl. The other sea maiden couldn’t seem to get enough of holding the young child. Neither could Garnet. They were both so attached to him. _

_ Steven mumbled in disappointment, whining out the best he could to get his own way. Puppy dog eyes were already tempting Garnet to say otherwise, “No, Steven. It’s bedtime now. Pearl can tell you another story tomorrow, after you have your rest.” _

_ “Ah, that’s right!” Pearl said enthusiastically, “I can tell you lots more tomorrow! Maybe something else you’ll like more! Like the crab guardian, the playful starfish, oh! How about the water-wielding sea maiden!” _

_ Steven shook his head, his mind already set on one, “The princess!” _

_ Garnet and Pearl looked at each other. He was always so obsessed with the same story. “Steven, you already know how it goes. Don’t you want something different?” _

_ “No!” _

_ It would be a lie if Pearl said it didn’t bother her a little. She made that story up, hoping that maybe Steven would be a little bit fearful of the world that lies on top of theirs. Steven knew that the princess got killed in the end, but he still asked the same story, in hopes of getting a different ending, in hopes of maybe, learning of what the princess discovers if the monster didn’t kill her. _

_ His curiosity is so great, he was just like his own mother. Pearl always saw it as something perfect. She couldn’t see any flaws in Steven. He acted so much like her in every single way, but Pearl only wanted to protect him. _

_ Garnet took note of Pearl, already taking Steven off, “We can talk more about it tomorrow. Sleepy time first.” Garnet disappeared, swimming through a few decorative vines into a small cave as she put Steven to bed. It didn’t take long to see Garnet come out. _

_ “You looked uneasy.” _

_ “I’m just a little concerned.” Pearl placed a hand to her cheek, looking up in a worried thought, “He seems so in awe of the surface. I’m afraid that once he grows, he’ll be careless and put himself in a spot where I won’t be there for him.” _

_ “That’s called growing up and maturing.” Garnet said bluntly. “There will come a time where he will want to set out on his own. Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” _

_ “Well, maybe! But what if he…” Pearl gestured with open palms, unsure of how to state the obvious, “You know.. Oversteps some boundaries that should never be crossed..” _

_ Garnet’s lips formed a thin line, “That won’t happen, and you know that.” She placed a hand on Pearl’s shoulder, calming down the quiet anxiety growing in her, “We both did what we could to assure that he would be kept safe and alive with us. The Diamonds kept their word.” _

_ “But the Diamonds aren’t the only thing that we should be worried about!” _

_ Or perhaps it was. Pearl didn’t know much about the world beyond their sea, but the unknown was still something to fear. _

_ She shouldn’t really be worried about the surface either, but the nice warning they received was enough reason to stay away from it. _

_ But still, it’d hurt Pearl to keep Steven tied to a leash, obligated to look after him and make sure he didn’t stray too far. The Diamonds made it clear that he’d stay nearby where he could be supervised with ease, at least, for the time being until he gets his island at an appropriate age. _

_ If they were to find that Pearl and Garnet didn’t follow their orders, well, who knew what would happen. Nothing good would have come out of it, they knew that for sure. _

_ But that was only if they ever got caught.. _

_ Steven’s awe at the sea’s surface added with puppy eyes was enough for Garnet to take him to the surface one time. Steven’s awe grew into bigger curiosity. The way his eyes lit when they both returned, Pearl could never forget it. _

_ She remember chuckling when Steven begged over and over again for Garnet to take him to the surface again. Garnet almost gave in, but even she was worried about risking the trip again. He’d only have to wait a little more. Once he gets his island, he’ll be able to be on the surface for as long as he liked, of course, only if Pearl and Garnet are there to watch him. _

_ “You don’t need to worry.” Garnet stopped Pearl in her thoughts, “Remember, he’s only 18 months old. I feel like you forget that a lot.” _

_ Pearl forced her tense shoulders to ease. Garnet was right. Usually, she was always right. Her ability to see the vague possibilities of the future always allowed her to stay calm. How Pearl wishes she could stay as cool-headed as her, “Yeah..maybe.” _

* * *

Now though… Now wasn’t the case for Pearl to stay cool-headed.

She zipped through every boulder in sight, up and down every curve. She searched through the darkest places and looked through the tightest spots. She spun around in her surroundings every ten minutes, hoping to catch the familiar pink color in her line of sight.

“Nothing..” Pearl said, for who knows how many countless times she repeated, “He isn’t here..!”

Lapis Lazuli, a blue sea maiden that accompanied her, did little to help as she laid on top of a nice comfy boulder. It looked a lot like a lounging bed they had at home.

“Wow, what a huge surprise..” Lapis mocked, throwing her jazz hands in a slothful motion, “Maybe you should check that small pebble over there again. He could be hiding underneath it.”

“How can you not be concerned right now?!” Pearl snapped her head towards her. She was just about getting enough of her lazy attitude. “What was the point of coming with me if you’re not going to do anything?!”

“Garnet said so.” Lapis shrugged, finally deciding to get up from her cozy spot, “But I don’t see the point in frantically panicking either.”

“He hasn’t been back home in almost a week, Lapis!” Pearl shrieked, “A week!!”

“He’s a teenager for stars’ sake, Pearl!” Lapis rolled her eyes, “Give him some breathing room and let him be.Garnet’s back at the island to let us know when he returns home. He’ll be back before you know it.”

Pearl looked out into the sea’s distance. There wasn’t much to find besides a few plants and a small school of fish minding their own business. Other than that, it was mostly empty space. Still, the longer she stared beyond, the more fear settled inside her.

It was always north where he headed. Ever since she saw him old enough, she’d sometimes let him wander the ocean without her. He was maturing as Garnet said, and she wanted him to spread his wings. Of course, just to be careful, she always gave him a curfew. Nobody knew he was going out on his own, except for Pearl, Lapis, Garnet, and the others that lived on the island. She hopes it stays that way for a long time.

“If he was going to stay longer than he should, then he would have told me!” Pearl argued, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Look, I don’t want to fight right now, but I just need you to help me out long enough for me not to pull my own hair out.”

Lapis snickered behind her hand, “Yeah, yeah, fine. I’ll look through every small pebble I come across.” Well, that was good enough for Pearl.

They continued swimming across the empty ocean floor, dead-set on heading one direction. Pearl knew he took this route often, and as they kept traveling, Pearl could see some foliage in the long distance. They were finally getting somewhere.

“There’s not a lot of fish here.” Lapis mentioned, looking around in thought, “I wouldn’t think Steven would be somewhere completely alone, unless he’s got some secret lair hiding around here somewhere.”

“Maybe we just haven’t gotten far enough yet.”

“Wait… Wait, wait, wait Pearl!” Lapis hurried over to the other sea maiden, grabbing her attention as she pulled her arm, stopping her in place.

“What! What is it?” Pearl looked back at her, wondering her sudden pause. Lapis only looked ahead, watching something above them as a shadow. She pointed over Pearl’s head, “Look..”

Pearl looked up, watching above as a huge figure loomed over them in the far distance. They moved slowly, gliding along from over them. It was hard to see, but no doubt, they were a large creature.

“There’s a whale here?” Lapis then spoke, “Maybe they’ve seen where Steven went.” Lapis sped past Pearl, making her way above. Pearl still kept frozen.

She’s seen a few whales, but it isn’t quite often that she finds one. Not a lot of whales come around this area, so it was a rare sight to see. Now Lapis and her were lucky enough to find one. They were known for their wisdom, but they never looked this odd.

No tail, no flippers, and Pearl could see something shiny coming from the creature, the sun’s reflection blinding the anonymous thing towards Lapis’ direction. Something didn’t sit right with her gut.

“Lapis, wait! Hold on!” Pearl could barely finish her sentence, cause everything that happened next passed by too quickly.

Lapis turned towards her in confusion, and only a second passed as a harpoon gun’s spear quickly penetrated the water. Lapis could only dodge her body out of the way, earning a clean pierce at her lower tail. If it weren’t for the adrenaline, she’d be curled up on herself.

Pearl hurried over to her side, seeing the wire that connected to the spear still latched on to Lapis. She wasn’t sure if she should pull the spear straight out. Lapis seemed in shock, and winced a bit at the unwelcoming object struck through her tail.

The sudden attack left them both in fright, but Lapis forced herself a determined face. She took it upon herself to try to detach it, leaving Pearl to watch in shocking horror, crying out in protest, but the small flinching attempts to wiggle the menacing spear free already prove Lapis painful enough to leave it.

“You’re going to hurt yourself more!” Pearl pulled Lapis’ hands away from the injury, “Try not to touch it!” Lapis didn’t bother arguing back. She only tensed up, urging to pull out the spear in hopes of feeling relieved, but she held back.

There wasn’t any time to think and relax, as a large net headed to swallow them. Pearl was quick enough to flee from the upcoming danger. She latched onto Lapis’ arm, pulling her to the side the best she could, but she only managed to move a few centimeters, Lapis crying out to stop as the wire forced a tug on her tail.

The net overpowered them, and Pearl could suddenly feel herself being lifted. Her space became limited, and they both could do nothing more than wiggle and struggle fruitlessly as they were tangled in the knotted patterns.

Her heart was raising fast, and her gills were taking in more water as fear clouded her mind. As the net carried them over the surface, Pearl was taken back by the sudden absence of water, to only be exposed by harsh, cold-biting air.

“Well, what do ya know!” Marty shouted pridefully, putting a step onto the railing of the boat as his crew shouted in an unsynchronized cheer, “Looks like we hit the jackpot boys! Reel them in!”


	8. We meet once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to write out a few more chapters before posting this one, but then I thought, "Eh, this chapter waited long enough..."
> 
> Also, my computer kinda sucks so typing and editing stuff on my phone was the only way to go. Sorry if things look wonky.

“The street’s pretty lonely at this time…”

“Meh, I like it this way.”

"If you say so. Just seems kinda creepy. Y'know, walking alone in a small, barely-populated town. Sounds like it could be part of a horror movie."

An ugly snort comes out, "You and your fantasies, Connie! Just relax girl. If anyone tries to put their hands on you, I ain't gonna hesitate to whip their butt!"

“Wow, well aren't you brave." Connie mocked with a giggly tone, "Not scared no one’s gonna come around the corner and attack you?”

Amy eyed Connie for a moment, but she was still focused on the sun-setting sky, having her arms crossed behind her head. “Small town comes with small crimes. What did your hometown in Jersey do to you? You got thieves up in every corner or something?”

“Well, no… But Jersey doesn’t have the most pleasant people. Not exactly safe. I never walked out alone.” Not that Connie ever had reason to. Even with or without the early curfews that her mother sets on her shoulders, Connie never hung out much with Jeff. They were mostly just high school buddies to get through the day. It didn’t bother her much anyway.

“Geez, you kinda sound like Peri sometimes.” Amy brushed along Connie’s shoulder in a playful shove, “Aren’t you up for a little bit of an adventure from time to time? Like, I mean, Peri’s great and all, but for a safe town like this, she won’t come out once the clock strikes eight.”

Connie returned a playful push back onto Amy, “Cut her some slack, why don’t you. She can at least get out of bed in the morning unlike you.”

Amy smirked, taking the push as a challenge, “Whatever! If she hadn’t left so early, then her loss, cause she’s missing out!" Amy then stepped back, preparing to charge her hips against Connie’s, making her stumble at the sudden hit. Amy laughed out, but not before Connie shoved a torso back. Amy might have thought that Connie wasn't going to return that hit back, but she's proving her wrong.

Amy caught her balance, now stepping to the side to dodge another one of Connie’s hits. But before Connie could get her footing, Amy was out, not risking to get another shove. “Hey! Come back here!” Connie shouted out, chasing after Amy as she turned into a burst of giggles.

They both ran down the street, being the only ones out in the middle of the road as they played the childish cat and mouse game. At this point, Connie expected for her old, lousy neighbor to come out of his front door, screaming for her to get off the damn streets as he proceeded to throw a pebble to the nearest kid he deemed most annoying. No pebble got her, but Connie could never forget the hilarious memory of her parents’ faces when she told them of the old man. Connie was sure Amy would have loved to meet her grouchy neighbor. She can only imagine how much Amy would prank on the poor man. Amy already does enough of that on her own unfortunate neighbors.

At the end of the street, Amy rounded right around the corner, leaving out of Connie’s sight. She picked up her speed, not wanting to lose track of her. Connie was still going to give back that shove.

She turned, seeing the streets now empty besides her. The little prankster was still near somewhere, unless she could magically disappear into thin air. She jogged at the sidewalk, just hoping to see her at the next street over, only to be met with a forceful tackle from the short girl popping out the alley.

“Amy!” Connie groaned, taken off guard as she sat up from the ground.

"What? Afraid to get dirty?"

"No, but you always play dirty!"

"Hey, if no rules were established beforehand, I do what I feel like!"

"Geez, now I know what Peri means when she says she can't handle any of your games." Connie dusted herself off, flicking off the nasty little rocks that stick to her palms. "She always has baggy eyes, I can imagine her being with you is like a nanny looking after a troublesome baby."

"Well, if you're asking me, it's good that I take her out of her comfort zone once in a while," Amy huffed and rolled her eyes, "These days she stays in her room doing whatever nerds like you do. And she's always whining whenever I do take her anywhere."

Welp, if that ain't Connie at all. Except, she wasn't in her hometown anymore. She could see eye-to-eye with Peri, but Amy did have a good point too. "I'm sure that whatever Peri's doing is important too. Schoolwork, right?" she shrugged, "But you can also be pushy too. Maybe, instead of forcing her out with you whenever you feel like it, maybe talk to her beforehand and see what she wants to do?"

"Eh, too much work.. But I guess I do drag her around like a doll." Amy sighed, her shoulders limping down, "I just kinda get tired of her not doing as much as we used to back in the day. Like I get it, school's important and whatever, but I don't want her to straight up leave me hanging like Sour Cream."

"Sour Cream?"

Amy perked up an eyebrow. "I've introduced you to him, right? Remember? The last time you came.." Connie looked blankly, "Y'know, Vidalia, the woman I do modeling for? She had two sons.. The tall guy.."

"Oh.. Him." Connie remembered a glimpse of how he looked.. Or at least, how she remembered him those years ago. "I never really talked to him, let alone just know the guy in general."

"Yeah, well we were pretty good friends. I always hung out with him every time I visited Vidalia's place." Amy shoved her hands in her jean pockets, taking the lead in their resumed walk as she skipped along and kicked a nearby pebble, "He was a pretty cool guy and all.. Then one day I came home to Vidalia pretty heart-broken." Amy clenched in her pockets a bit, "The guy just up and left his mom without reasonable explanation other than 'not being able to stand being around his parents anymore' or something. It was a pretty jerk move what he did."

Connie hummed, keeping quiet. Amy continued on her rambling, not saying anything in particular order, she might have lost her train of thought. Still, Connie listened closely. She couldn't imagine leaving her own mother like that. Or rather, leaving in a way that would leave her mom sad. It wouldn't really matter to her how suffocating her rules were, good mothers always did everything out of love. Then again, she didn't know much about Vidalia's family. Never really visited them. Everything she knew about them came from Amy. But if Amy was really good friends with Vidalia, she couldn't imagine her being a bad mom.

"So.. This Sour Cream.." Connie started, "You said you guys were friends. Do you hate him now?"

"Are you kidding me?! I…! Well, I-” Amy stuttered, her mouth opened as she hesitated in her thoughts. “I don’t really know! Sure, I hate that he hurt his mom, but that’s not really how he is! He was such a sweet guy, and to do something like that is so… unlike him. If anything, there was probably something that triggered him before he decided to be an ass and ditch everyone.”

Connie’s lips formed a thin line, and she could only watch with concern. Amy was certainly taking it hard, and yet she’s able to act like things are fine. “You care about him, huh?”

“Well, yeah. I guess. Everyone that lives in this town is already close in some way or form. Kinda like one big family. That’s why I was so excited for you to be a part of it.”

Connie couldn’t help but smile. It was cute to see this side of Amy. Such a laid-back girl with the personality of a baddie that does what she wants. Truth is, she’s so much more mature than she shows everyone else to be.

“Well, I really don’t know how to answer that. But it makes me feel good to know I got a chance like this to make more friends than plain ol’ Jersey could allow me.”

“Trust me. Every Saturday night, us gals would have had the time of our lives.” Amy wrapped an arm over Connie’s shoulder, leaning into her as she turned them towards the view of the town, “Before Sour Cream’s departure, he used to throw these raves every week. Almost everyone in town, plus some outsiders, would come and hang out. That rave took place in a tiny old warehouse just around… there!” Amy pointed through the streets, aiming towards an old building just at the edge of town. Almost sad-looking and worn down, Connie could see that one side of the warehouse was missing several bricks, leaving an open entrance for any person or animal to get into.

“Trust me. It looks better up close. Let’s go!” Amy locked her arms against Connie, marching along at their destination.

“But wait! Won’t it get dark before we get there?”

“Then we better hurry it up!” Amy said, marching on faster as Connie struggled to catch up her legs.

* * *

It definitely did not look better up close. Dusty walls and overgrown grass in random places gave Connie an overall feeling that the place might as well be filled with spider webs from top to bottom. Amy, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be too bothered at the creepy crawlers that wander in and out of the warehouse. 

Amy motioned Connie to follow her lead just as she pulled out her phone. Amy turns on her flashlight and Connie does just the same, entering into the abandoned warehouse.

The place was pretty big. Certainly had tons of space for a rave to take place here, but now, it’s littered with storage crates and unknown junk that Connie didn’t bother to look at. It looked a lot like a hoarder’s home.

“This place smells dirtier than usual.” Amy said out loud, poking at a broken chair with her boot before moving on to poking at other things. “This stuff wasn’t here before when we had those raves. Guess that tourists found this place and totally crashed it with their junk. There’s even some seaweed here..” Amy picked up the wet piece, “Ugh! As if trashing our beach wasn’t enough. They gotta ruin our little party hideout too.” She threw the seaweed back at the ground, making the moist plant slap the concrete.

Connie looked back at Amy, an unsure expression plastered on her face. “Do you think the ocean floods this place? It could make sense if the litter from the sea ends up here if the water is able to rise up so high.”

“No way. This warehouse may be at the edge of town, but it’s still a decent distance away from the beach.” Amy waved her flashlight at the graffiti spray painted at the wall behind her. “I mean, look at this! The ocean definitely didn’t do that! I bet we get kids coming here often!”

Connie looked down at the seaweed, bending over and picking it up again, the moist texture and smell making Connie’s face scrunch up in disgust. “Well if that’s the case, then that means someone was probably here recently…” Amy looked back at her, confused. Connie waved the plant at her, but Amy didn’t seem to catch on.

Connie sighed, “Amy, this seaweed is still wet. If the ocean didn’t bring it here, then it was probably from someone coming from the beach.” Connie turned to the rest of the open space of the warehouse, “If you don’t want any beach tourists coming here, then maybe it’s best if this warehouse gets covered in police tape or something.”

“Well I don’t know where we can get that, but there’s plenty of stuff here. We could probably get a bunch of furniture to block off or hide the entrance… Or you know, use more of that seaweed to create a cute curtain for the entrance too.” Amy said, pointing with her flashlight at a trail of seaweed that followed to the back of the room, “...That’s not very creepy at all.”

Connie looked at the trail, now suddenly feeling uneasy. It was a miracle that she didn’t see that sooner. She hadn’t noticed Amy coming close to her side, nearing her ear in a raspy whisper, “Hey, I bet there’s a bunch of drug addicts just having the time of their life behind those crates!”

Connie glared at her, but Amy was not caring, “Ooh! Let’s ask to join them!”

“Amy, you’re insane.”

“I hope they’re not armed with a knife~”

“Amy!” Connie hissed now feeling more uneasy, but Amy was already off, closing in, her tippy toes on end. Connie groaned and walked along with Amy. She grabbed her shoulder, ready to pull her away, but the smaller girl lunged forward, turning around the corner before Connie could react to her sudden horror.

“Amy!!”

“Boo!! See? Nothing.” Amy huffed out a small laugh, an obvious chuckle that she’s holding, but she still earned a well hard hit to her shoulder. “That wasn’t funny!”

“Haha! You should’ve seen your face!” Amy bursted, “Did you really think there would be some group of druggies in here? Haha, you’re so paranoid! You’re more like Peri than I though- Oh my gosh a dead body!”

Amy’s eyes widen, looking over Connie’s shoulder while pointing to the crates behind her. Connie turned, and to her sudden surprised, a pale, limp hand peeking out on the floor.

Amy's joking attitude had now stopped to what could be something serious. She may have joked about a dead body, but now she's reconsidering if it was really funny now. She sucked in a thin of air, and considered if maybe fate had jinxed her.

The hand stood unmoving, and Amy's offhand comment had Connie considering if it truly had been dead. She couldn't jump to conclusions, but a poor homeless sleeper could be left undisturbed if they left the warehouse now. Or perhaps it was just a broken piece of a mannequin doll.

Connie and Amy looked at each other, unsure if they should ditch the place right away and call the police.

The hand was loosely tangled in seaweed, making Connie look back to the trail that led them here.

The two girls slowly made their move, walking forward with caution to get a small peek behind the crates.

Connie's mind raced, showing up over-dramatic discoveries of what she could find. Her anxious and fantasy-obsessed mind. Amy hadn't said anything yet, but one look at her could tell that she might be thinking the same thing.

They turned to a corner, preparing for whatever it could be. The dead body, a deformed and broken mannequin, a sleeping hobo..

And the sight of a boy is the first thing they see…

His messy hair draped over his eyes, and his shivering bare body was wet against the great amount of seaweed tangled around him. To Connie, the night gave a comfortable breeze, but to his unconscious body, it looked like the breeze was hitting him almost frozen.

She took a glance at Amy before slowly lowering herself, bringing her face close to the boy. Her wavering fingers came forward, moving aside the hair to reveal the rest of his face.

And at that moment, Connie was almost certain that she’ll be waking up from a dream. She kept herself from screaming out loud, but she could hear her heart pumping faster.

Amy may have no idea what was going on, only seeing a sick boy in need of help, but Connie knew very well who he was.

The Steven that she had never forgotten is now in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got a tumblr if you guys wanted to check it out or something. I probably won't post much on it but I DO have a bunch of drawings that relate to this fic.
> 
> So yeah, if I ever do decide to post some drawings, and if you're curious as to how the characters look like in this fic, you'll find it there.. (I'll put a link if I do post something, but don't expect too much from my drawings please i'mnotaproartistpleasenohate...)
> 
> https://phancyfantom.tumblr.com/


	9. A meaningful reunion.

Connie was pretty exhausted at this point. Her arms were crossed against her chest and she rested with her chin tucked in. Napping for a few minutes on a stiff wooden chair was all that Connie was going to give her own body.

Her body would have enjoyed the comfort of her bed much more than the chair, but Connie wasn't sure if she wanted to head back home just yet. Not until he had woken up anyway.

She could briefly hear the sound of a facet turning off, just as Peri walked out the bathroom with a cup of water in hand.

"I'll just be leaving this for the…" Peri turned, looking at the sleeping stranger underneath her covers, "..the guy." Peri was definitely uneasy about the unknown boy that they had both dragged along to her place. Would've looked like they were carrying a corpse to any other person walking by, which they were lucky enough to not find. Still, Peri is only one phone call away to getting two teenagers behind bars.

She settled her cup down on the nightstand before giving out an irritated sigh. Peri glared "Okay now.. Can one of you explain to me as to  _ why  _ I have a naked boy.. Whom I don't even know.. In my house and in my bed?!"

_ Hmm, straight to the point I guess.. _

"Well, if I dragged him into my house, I wouldn't hear the end of it from my sisters." Amy rolled her eyes, "So your place was easier."

"Where did you say that you found him again?"

"In the warehouse.. Completely passed out."

Peri stared in disbelief, "And you just  _ thought _ to take him from… wherever he's been? Maybe you should have, oh I don't know… Inform a police officer or something?! We don't even know the guy! He could be a serial killer for all we know!"

Amy was completely unbothered. An immovable boulder as Connie liked to describe it. Being told otherwise didn't seem to phase her, and that included basic reasoning.

"Connie said she knew him, so he isn't a complete stranger."

Peri now turned her head to Connie. She rubbed her chin in thought "If Connie knows him, I guess I have to take her word for it.. I trust her more than Amy anyway."

"Hey-!"

"And while it's quite lovely to get to know more about Connie's friends, I still find it concerning! I mean, just look at the state that he's in!" Peri waved her arm towards the bed.

Connie uncrossed her arms. There was surely more that Peri wanted to ask, but her loud bickering was getting her nervous. She wouldn't want for Steven to wake up alarmed and scared.

Connie let out her arms on Peri's shoulders, attempting to settle her down, "Look, I'll explain the best I can,”  _ Or the best that she could without revealing some certain truths.. Those can be questioned later, _ “I have no idea what had happened to him before we found him, but he’s a dear friend of mine.” She slumped her shoulders, “He means a lot to me, but he isn’t very open with other people, so can you guys do me a favor and go easy on him?”

Peri’s mouth formed into a thin line, “I wasn’t going to do anything bad to him. I’m sure he’s been through enough as it is, considering the injury he’s got.”

Amy perked an eyebrow, and Connie was just as confused. They both gave each other one look before going back to Peri, “W-What injury?” They hadn’t seen any bruise or anything concerning. He had mostly seen scrapes and scratches that any other kid would get while roughhousing on the grainy sand.

“Figures,” Peri shrugged her shoulders, “He was tangled up in all that seaweed, I had no choice but to cut it up with scissors to let him free... Wherever he’s been must’ve not been good. His piercing broke and all the pieces are stuck in his stomach. I tried to take it out,” if Peri saw Connie’s brief panic, she didn’t mention it, “but it wouldn’t budge so I thought it was best to just clean around it than to risk hurting him more.”

“It’s probably best not to take it out.. It’s kinda a part of his body..” Connie scratched at her temple. She remembered back when he had told her about it. She didn’t quite understand it at first, but it apparently seemed normal, “He’s got uh… a medical condition.”

“Oh.” Peri looked back at the boy, a poker face plastered on, “You should have said something sooner, ‘cause I seriously considered just yanking it out.”

Amy huffed, pushing herself off the wall, “So, what did you say his name was?”

“It’s Steven.”

Peri hummed, "I never heard of anyone named Steven in this town.. I wouldn't think he's a resident here. So how did you meet him exactly?"

"He likes to visit here during vacations. I met him when my family lived here for that short time. He usually keeps to himself so that's probably the reason you guys never met him." Technically, Connie wasn't really lying. She doesn't know much of what he does besides hanging around the shores, but her story is believable enough to pass by.

"Makes sense," Amy looked at Peri, "Me and Peri would always hang around the Big Donut back then when summer came around. We were always trying to make all the tourist kids our friends. Good times, those days."

"It was fine when they were kids our age," Peri scoffed, "but Amy, you tried to befriend everyone."

"So?"

Peri's eye slightly twitch, " _ So?! _ You go up to the most sketchy people! There were plenty of times when I thought we might find ourselves dead in an alley."

Amy snorted, "Peri, you really over think sometimes. They never did anything so can you just chill? Beach City is literally the safest place in Delmarva."

"The safest.. Huh?" Peri said in a sarcastic tone, twisting her head over to the boy. “Try telling that to him.”

“Peri, seriously, you’re making this a big deal-”

“See, here’s the problem with you,” Peri shook her head in frustration, taking her glasses off and pinching the bridge of her nose, “You can be stupid sometimes. And sure, it was fine when we were kids. We didn’t know enough, But now? You just act like you can do anything without any repercussions ‘cause surely you’re invincible, huh?”

Amy had stood up straight at this point, “Dude, you’re doing it again, Take a chill pill.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Peri scowled, shaking her head, “You’re the LAST person who should tell anyone what to do. You never think ahead of your actions, and you never bother to think twice before doing anything. You have no boundaries and no filter!”

Amy sighed tiredly, “What the hell is up with this? You’re bringing up stuff from the past just to argue with me again. I get that there were some things I’ve done that made you uncomfortable, but I apologized, didn’t I?”

“Oh yeah. Yeah you did. But you just think that everything can be fixed with an “I’m sorry” before you do it all over again! I swear to the stars, Amy… One day, you’re gonna make some decisions that you’re going to regret once it screws over your life, ‘cause I promise you Amy, all those school absences might seem like no big deal, but it's going to catch up to you soon before you know it!”

“See? This is the reason why we can’t hang out anymore!” Amy stretched her arms out in a loud frustration, “You’re too uptight about everything I do! You always got something to say about me, even if I’m breathing the wrong way! Why can’t you just accept it and let yourself go? Is it really that illegal for you to have a break once in a while?”

“How can I hang out with someone who has no self-discipline?! If I got involved with you, there’s no doubt I’m gonna land myself in deep trouble! And there’s no way I’m going to let anything affect my chances of getting into a college!”

“I’m not some gang member, Peri!”

“Well you sure like to act like one!”

“Okay yeah, fine!” Amy threw her hands up, “Sometimes I screw up! Sometimes I act like a kid because I’m not mature enough to hold responsibility! I'm sorry for not being on your level,  _ Peri!"  _ Amy air-quoted her name with her fingers, "And yeah! I'll admit it, I may have done some things that ended up with me running away from the cops! I'm sure dumb like that. But I'm getting  _ real tired _ of you treating me like a bad guy, cause I'm not, believe it not!"

“Then stop doing them and I won’t treat you like one!” Peri jagged a finger at Amy’s chest, “You think you have no brain but you just don’t want to use it! The world doesn’t bow down to you, you know! If you actually took a few seconds to just THINK about the consequences of your actions, maybe you wouldn’t have given Sour Cream the idea of abandoning his mom!”

She was almost worn out, but she still stood her ground, “You were always looking for trouble, Amy… I know you were always like that.. And you couldn’t help yourself but to get involved with that old bastard Marty, and all for the chance of getting his dirty money.” She placed her glasses back on her nose again, “It’s funny, really. You knew how much he was a jerk to Vidalia, and you still hung out with him behind her back. And once you slipped it out to Sour Cream about how his dad was loaded and living out a better life than anyone imaginable… Well, look at what happened now. He turned his back on all of us.”

Connie was at a loss for words, but she wouldn’t have said anything if she wasn’t. This fight wasn’t her own business, and she felt bad for being in the middle of it, but there was still so much she wanted to ask.  _ Now wasn’t a good time… _

Amy’s shoulders went limp and she looked down at the floor. She looked defeated, “I know that was my fault.. I still wanted to fix it.”

“ _ Wanted _ ?”

“Well, I tried to.. I told everything to Jenny, Buck, and Sadie. They said that they forgive me, but it’s kinda obvious that they’re avoiding me. They’re trying to not hurt my feelings but…” Amy started to rub a hand at her shoulder, trying to relieve herself with some comfort, “I think they haven’t forgiven me just yet.”

“Yeah… I know.”

“Well, if you know, then tell me, how the hell do I fix this?”

The room fell quiet, besides the sleeping noises of Steven lying comfortably on the bed. This conversation wasn’t meant to escalate this far, and it’s becoming clear to the two that they want this to end and move on with the injured boy instead. Peri sighed dismissively, trying to form foggy words in her head.

“I don’t know, Amy… Sour Cream could be anywhere. And even if you got in contact with him, he might just push away again,” Peri said truthfully. She brought a hand up to her head, brushing back her short hair in an attempt to relieve her painful stress. “Look, let’s just drop it at that. We got more things to worry about anyway.” Peri started walking over to a cabinet, ignoring Amy's eyes that all but said ' _ You're the one that started it' _ before taking out folded blankets and pillows before dropping it to the carpeted floor. “That kid isn’t going to wake up any time soon, so I suggest we wait until morning. Besides, I’m too exhausted. I'm gonna go to sleep.”

Amy stood quiet. While their conversation had gone downhill, the tension was almost gone and forgotten,  _ as if they were used to these outbursts _ , Still, both girls held some kind of grudge layered under a fake mask.  _ How many times have they had this same conversation _ .. _ ?  _ "Thanks.. Peri."

“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled her eyes, “Hoard my room like you always do. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” She turned to walk out the door, leaving the two finally alone.

Connie felt like a ghost, not wanting to say the wrong thing. So much has happened since she had been gone, and to ask anything about it might not be her place to do so. So she kept quiet, setting up the blankets besides Amy so they would have a comfortable spot to sleep on the floor.

“Sorry,” Amy started, “I didn’t bring you here to see all of that.”

“Oh, it’s okay-”

“It's really not.” Amy sighed, “I still think me and Peri are friends, but we’ve been fighting like that for some time. I just kinda hoped that if Peri saw you, maybe she would forget a little about our arguments and just go back to normal..”

“But you didn’t mean to,” Connie turned to Amy, “You never wanted to hurt any of them. And you shouldn’t put so much blame on yourself. You’re not responsible for Sour Cream’s choices.”

“I guess...” She shrugged, still so unsure, “But seeing Marty was still my fault.”

_ Right.. This Marty guy…  _ “Who is he anyway?”

“Just some dude.. Used to be Vidalia’s boyfriend back in the day. Then she had Sour Cream and he ended up leaving her.” Amy shut her mouth for a sec, biting back her tongue, “I didn’t know it was him back then.” She said all too quickly, as if Connie was going to be offended by any mention of her being with him, “...When I first met him, he was just another guy that had money. I was only with him because he offered me some if I did small errands for him… Nothing harmless, really. Then he revealed that he used to be with Vidalia, but I still thought he wasn’t that bad of a guy.. Told all those things to Sour Cream and… yeah, you get the rest of what had happened to S.C.”

Connie placed her pillow down, already having made her own bed, “It’s an ugly hole you’ve yourself in, Amy. I thought Sour Cream was very important to you, but it seems like everyone cares a lot for him..”

Amy threw herself into her own bed, lying beside Connie as she looked up the ceiling, “How many times do I have to spell it out for you, Connie? In this town, we are family. We look out for each other, end of story.”

She turned away, making herself comfy on her side, “Just get some rest. We’ll talk more in the morning if you want. Now, I’m exhausted..”

“Right,” Connie turned her own way, bringing a blanket over her shoulder, “Sorry for making you talk.”

Amy only hummed in response, tired to say anymore as she seemed to put herself to sleep. Connie was near to sleep as well, but not before looking up to Steven’s bed. It was a surprise he hadn’t woken up to all that argument. He was still at peace, making her envy it for a second. Feeling reassured that was still there, she nodded off to her own sleep.

* * *

She had finally woken up when she heard the sound of bed creaking, followed by a hiss. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness that hadn’t been there before. The room was dim, and she could have sworn they left the lights on. She looked at her surroundings, finding a larger blanket draped on top of her and Amy.

_ Peri had probably come into the room after they dozed off. _

Connie sat herself up, her sheets falling off of her. Her mouth felt dry, but she ignored her needs for now.

She looked up ahead to the figure above the bed. He hunched over and felt the strange new feeling around his stomach, wrapped in gauze.

He breathed in heavily and took in the unknown place he felt himself unfamiliar with. No longer in the cold biting breeze of the harsh winds, and instead, in a warm and safe environment under a sturdy roof. 

She had so many things to say.  _ Where had he been? What had happened to him? What hurt him? Who hurt him? Why wasn’t he hidden away in the water? _ To be left abandoned in a worn out building where no one could find him, Connie’s mind swirled with the many possibilities.

With much needed eagerness, she stood up as if exhaustion had never affected her, and her eyes gleamed as he looked at the new presence in the room. They’ve only stared for a few long seconds, but to her, it was never enough.

“Hey…” She first started, walking slowly until she was at his side of the bed. He never took his eyes off for a second, “Do you… Know me?”

A deep feeling in her gut hoped that they weren’t strangers, but she a pint of anxiousness settled in. If there was even the slightest chance that he had forgotten about her, she wouldn’t know how she could take it.  _ Just three years, right? _ It has been long, but it couldn’t be long enough. Not after that promise he made…

He stood quiet, then looked down, first to her lips, her shoulders, then back at the hair that went to the middle of her back. It wasn’t as long as it used to be, she had it cut short just shortly after she left those years ago, but it started to grow out. 

Then he looked around, from the blankets to the nightstand beside them. A simple flower rested on a glass vase and he took the time to admire its beauty before plucking it out.

He twirled the stem between his fingers for a moment. The daisy spun and he returned his gaze back at Connie. As if it were second nature, he neared inches to her face, a genuine smile rising up in realization. He brought a hand to brush back hair behind her eye, right as he placed the small flower in the same spot.

“Connie.” He had finally said, his mouth slightly trembled. Perhaps it was the first time he said those words in a long time, it almost felt so strange, yet so familiar. It was funny to say it at the tip of his tongue, but he would gladly call her name forever, “You came back..!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Stop by my Tumblr](https://phancyfantom.tumblr.com/) for a Pearl and Garnet Sketch. I had fun designing them.


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